Thursday, 28 February 2013

Did you know that Herbal Essences turned 40 last year? I had no idea that the brand that brought us those iconic Yes moments has such an established heritage!

To celebrate their anniversary Herbal Essences have brought out a special range of Herbally Ever After shampoo and conditioners, where the packaging evokes the beautiful scents hidden inside.

I was kindly sent the above set with extracts of royal jasmine and silk sea palm to review and was absolutely astounded at how the fragrance brought back memories. Having used Herbal Essences throughout my teenage years it was fun to try out an old favourite and to see how it has evolved!

To celebrate their birthday Herbal Essences are holding a competition where you could win:

To enter this competition all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us about your favourite Herbal Essences moment! Good Luck my lovelies! xxx

Now the boring bit... the competition T&Cs:

1. Open to all residents in the UK aged 18 years or over only, excluding employees ofProcter & Gamble UK and its affiliates or agents, the families of such employees and anyother person connected with this promotion.2. The Prizes : 1st Prize covers: Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, atLockonego Salon in Central London (worth up to £195) to be booked by 30 th April 2012.Travel, accommodation and other costs are not included. 2nd Prize- a year’s supplyof Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner – 200ml bottles across one of HerbalEssences ranges. 3RD Prize - a Herbal Essences Hamper of products worth up to £11.053. To enter leave your comment on the blog stating your favorite Herbal Essences moment.Comment must appear by 13tH March 20134. No Purchase Necessary.5. One entry per person.6. After the closing date the winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including BenCooke and an independent adjudicator based on the best comment. Winners will benotified via the blog within 14 days of the closing date and they have 7 days from dateof notification to confirm their win and provide details of their name and address,otherwise the promoter reserves the right to select an alternative prize winner.7. The 2nd and 3rd prizes will be delivered within 28 days of prize claim being received.8. Winners may be required to take part in reasonable publicity associated with thepromotion.9. There is no cash alternative in whole or in part.10. The Promoter will not be liable for entries not received, incomplete, delayed ordamaged.11. Promoter reserves right to provide prizes of equal or greater value if prize is unavailablefor any reason.12. Your personal details will only be used for the purposes of administering this promotionand for no other purposes. For more information on our privacy policy, please visit:http://www.pg.com/privacy/english/privacy notice.shtml.13. The promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Promoter:Procter & Gamble UK, Weybridge, Surrey. KT13 0XP

Friday, 22 February 2013

Although the peplum trend is now somewhat overdone I still have a few pieces that I am very hesitant to move to the back of the wardrobe. For a curvy girl peplums are just so flattering, while they give athletic figures a feminine shape, making them easy to wear and extremely versatile.

I love the leather pleating of this peplum jacket as it creates volume, while accentuating your waist. I paired mine with a midi tube dress from ASOS to play up the proportions.

There are so many ways of wearing peplum, and I can't think of a bigger fan than Miss Kardashian...

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

On my quest to shape up for Summer I have decided it's time to take this exercise malarkey seriously. I have joined my local gym (David Lloyd) and have signed up to a spinning club near my office so that I no longer have any excuses, even if I'm working late!

Having never attempted spinning before I was quite apprehensive before my first class. As the fiance can tell you (being a mountain biking expert with thighs of steel) I am far from comfortable on a bike. So much so that he has actually banned me from riding in central London as my lack of skill, balance and spacial awareness makes me a danger on the road! Lucky for me spinning requires none of these, especially as the bikes are so well secured you have no chance of toppling off. I have to say that after 3 classes I can see why people find it so addictive!

The club I have joined is Cyclebeat. It's a great location minutes away from Bank and Monument stations and having just opened last week everything is lovely, clean and new. All the cycling is done in one studio with some loud, heavy music, and mood lighting complete with a disco ball. All the instructors are really encouraging and pick the tunes to go with each workout so you get lost in the music and forget about the pain. I'm not going to lie, it is hard work and the stairs will be a challenge the next morning, but unlucky for us ladies we can't burn 600 calories in 45 minutes by lying on the sofa watching Geordie Shore and eating cake :(.

Cyclebeat have a great introductory offer where you can enjoy unlimited classes for 30 days for just £30! Given that exercise classes in London tend to hover around £15 per hour this is a fantastic deal that I highly recommend and plan to take full advantage of.

Are you a fan of spinning? Do you have any fun exercise classes in London that you can recommend?

Sunday, 10 February 2013

So many of you lovely readers have contacted me to inquire where I have been hiding so I thought it best to write a little message to you all.

2012 was such a fantastic year for me. So many amazing things happened! I got engaged (squeal), got a big promotion at work, passed all my exams keeping me on track to gaining the financial qualification I have been studying for and have been involved in some exciting fashion and beauty projects. I am so happy and blessed and greatful for everything in my life. I can't thank you all enough for your support and your enthusiasm over this blog and my YouTube channel and I really do appreciate every comment, tweet and e-mail and the time you take out of your day to spend in my little world.

I am still incredibly passionate about beauty, fashion and all the girly fun that comes with this blog, however, I do see that there will have to be a slight change in direction.

At the end of last year I was still working full time, studying, commuting on the weekends to spend time with the boy in Liverpool, attending 3/4 events in the evenings every week and starting to plan a wedding (which, in truth, has been the most difficult task of all). As you can imagine this left me with very little time for anything else and made me lose enthusiasm - some days I felt like life was just going through the motions. I was honestly quite exhausted, often staying up till 2am to get all my work done and starting it all over again the next day.

One of the reasons I decided not to make blogging/ youtubing my day job is that I love variety. In some ways I like the fact that I have a serious job in the City, and that I can be successful without wearing a boring black suit everyday into the office. I can have a challenging career, while still preserving my individuality and femininity. I never want my love of beauty and fashion to become a job. I want to keep it a hobby - something I am excited about and I thoroughly enjoy, not something I have to do to pay my mortgage. I would much rather sit in a meeting about the future of commodities and then run off to learn all about the latest mascara and be excited by both. I'm not ashamed of being a geek...

I love this blog, I love my readers and I love all the friends that I
have made through blogging, but as I get older I feel that my audience
grows with me so I hope that you understand this slight change in
direction. I am going to really make an effort to make this blog more
personal and include a greater variety of topics. I want it to mature
with me and reflect other interests that I have thus far only touched
on.

My life is so full of contrasts and I feel that this blog hasn't reflected all those dimensions. I want to make a real effort this year to live my life to its fullest, and if that means reading fewer press releases, spending less hours behind a computer and more time with my friends enjoying all London (and who knows where else) has to offer I am ready to do that. Hopefully those experiences will make for more exciting content, both in life and online!

I really do hope that you want to come on this journey with me... even if it may contain a little less eyeshadow! xxx

A few weeks ago I attended a Nioxin event at the Michael John salon to learn all about their line of hair care.

While thinning hair is often highlighted as a problem for men it is a condition that can affect anyone. As we have seen on many celebrities this can be a result of extensions, but in fact there are many causes to thinning hair from genetics to hormones and while Nioxin can't reverse the underlying issues the range aims to address key hair and scalp needs to keep hair healthy, while giving the appearance of thicker and fuller hair.

Nioxin has a selection of six systems, each containing a three step programme of Cleanser, Scalp Revitaliser and Scalp Treatment. I chose system 3, which is targeted for normal to thin-looking, fine, chemically treated hair.

The shampoo (cleanser) is a volumising, blue gel that left my hair feeling very clean and my scalp fresh and tingly. The conditioner (scalp revitaliser) is very lightweight to make sure hair is not weighed down and is left looking full and bouncy. As my hair is long I prefer a richer conditioner, but I did like the minty freshness it left behind and how easy it was to rinse out. The scalp treatment is a volumising spritz with antioxidants, botanicals, vitamins and purifying agents to rejuvinate the scalp. Once again it leaves the scalp feeling really fresh and clean, as well as minty cool.

The issue of thinning hair is a concern for many so I am happy to see that Nioxin have partnered with the Institute of Trichologists to run the first yearly Thinning Hair Awareness week on the 18th of February. Their aim is to raise awareness, as well as educate people accross the UK, with help from their new (and very lovely) ambassador Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Throughout the week selected Nioxin salons will be holding their own events where clients can come and speak to experts who will be offering free consultations and advice.

To purchase your own kit (£27.99), find your nearest salon/ stockist and find out more information on Thinning Hair Awareness week you can visit the Nioxin website here.